Preki was named MLS Coach of the Year for his impressive rookie campaign in 2007. Never mind that he was a first-time head coach as a professional; results spoke loudly as he jettisoned Amado Guevara to get the locker room mix just right, propelling the Home Depot Center outfit to first place in the West with a 15-7-8 mark.
Along the way, Preki's team had pretty fair luck with injuries, with players generally avoiding the dreaded trainer's table until right at the end, when a rash of ailments at striker helped scuttle the burgeoning title talk.
So, perhaps you could make an argument that he had an relatively trouble-free launch, that things lined up just right for Preki's rookie run-out.
For anybody who wants to defend that point, here's the counterpoint: Preki might be doing a better job of managing Chivas USA this year than last.
The true mark of a manager (of any leader, really) is how he handles the tough times. Well, brother, they've had a few out in Carson, where injuries have absolutely hammered the Red-and-White this year.
Consider that Preki has already had to use 25 players through just 11 matches. He used only 24 all of last year.
Injuries have stripped away 58 potential starts for Chivas USA. Alecko Eskandarian, Ante Razov, Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suarez, Lawson Vaughn, Shavar Thomas, Maykel Galindo and Alex Zotinca have all missed at least four starts due to injury. Suarez, the team captain, has been healthy enough for just three starts. Zotinca hasn't gotten on the field this year. Vaughn has missed seven starts.
Razov, the team's top striking threat, has appeared in nine matches. But injuries have consistently limited his time; he has averaged just 47 minutes in those outings.
Plus, Preki had to deal with a goalkeeper who fell almost spectacularly out of form in April. Brad Guzan, apparently affected more than anyone thought by the offseason transfer drama, was a shadow of his 2007 self in the opening month.
How did Preki handle his goalkeeper woes? The same way he handled the injury infestation: with a steely coolness. Nothing every seemed to ruffle the intense and coiled Chivas USA shepherd.
The result is a team that continues to steadily grind away, regardless of the continued lineup flux.
With 14 points from 11 matches (a 4-5-2 mark), the rojiblancos are right in that Western Conference muddle. Five points separate first and sixth places.
Preki's men had their three-game winning streak snapped last week at Giants Stadium. Juan Pablo Angel's clinical finish kept Chivas from escaping New York with a four-game unbeaten streak, at least. And that's too bad, because Preki's men probably deserved at least a point.
Chivas played well, and can take a lot away from the bull-headed performance. But for some pedestrian finishing, Preki's side could easily have secured its second road win of 2008. And look at the team that did so:
Panchito Mendoza is playing left back these days. He got exposed a bit by Dane Richards on the telling goal, but Richards has done that to plenty of left backs in his year-plus at Giants Stadium. Otherwise, Mendoza was an attacking menace all night from that spot.
The entire back line is practically introducing itself to each other before every match.
Atiba Harris played out of position on the right. Sacha Kljestan played out of position as a withdrawn forward or attacking midfielder. Jorge Flores? Anything else the Sueño MLS victor does is just more gravy on top of a fabulous story. He came close to striking for a goal in a fourth consecutive match.
Preki must be given some credit there for giving the youngster a few specific chores, keeping things simple, and supplying Flores with the confidence to forge ahead.
Oh, and about Guzan? Some reporters wondered if Preki would tap a backup in New York, since his first-teamer would be rushing back stateside after playing in Europe with Bob Bradley's national side last week. No way, Preki said, quickly dousing any embers of doubt. Guzan is my guy, he told them. And his goalkeeper certainly looks like he's back in form.
Preki's roster will surely get healthier; after all, things could hardly get worse. Now that he's proven he can steer a sure course in calm waters and also manage his way through a storm, the rest of the league should be on notice.
TACTICAL CORNER
• Dominic Kinnear made the move so many have been wondering about Sunday evening, moving Dwayne De Rosario out of his preferred attacking midfielder role and into the hole behind Brian Ching.
Who could argue the results? The outcome was rarely in doubt as Houston tore through a Toronto defense, one that looks quite different away from BMO.
De Rosario's movement behind Ching made all the difference. None of the other Dynamo forwards paired with Ching had been as effective at moving nimbly and boldly into the right spaces. From those spots, he was spraying balls more effectively than at any time this year to Corey Ashe on the left, Brian Mullan on the right and, of course, to Ching.
De Rosario, remember, was once a forward for San Jose 1.0, back before the old Earthquakes became current Dynamo. One nitpic: "De Ro" will have to reacquire his old forward's sense timing if Kinnear opts to keep him up top. De Rosario was caught offside six times Sunday -- some of 'em not close at all.
All things being equal, De Rosario would always prefer the midfield role. Then again, all things are hardly equal on a Houston squad that struck for more than two goals for just the second time this year (and the first time since April 6).
• San Jose boss Frank Yallop moved a key cog, too. Ramiro Corrales, who has spent most of his time as a holding midfielder this year, was re-deployed into a wide spot. He flopped with Ned Grabavoy, who partnered with Kelly Gray in the center of Yallop's 4-4-2. Again, how to argue with the results, a huge 2-0 road win for the Earthquakes. More than a third of the way through 2008, Yallop's team are just five points back of third-place Colorado. (And third place means a guaranteed playoff spot.)
• Still searching for answers (and left thin by injury), Crew manager Sigi Schmid offered Jed Zayner and Emmanuel Ekpo their first starts. Eddie Gaven, for the first time this year, was on the bench to start the match.
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